By Matthew Wexler
The quirky new musical, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), is headed to Broadway this fall, but it’s not the first time food has stepped into the spotlight. There’s nothing better than dinner and a show. But sometimes, the best bite is onstage rather than in a rushed 3-course pre-fixe dining experience during which you’re constantly looking at your watch.
Two Strangers was a hit in London last summer before the U.S. premiere this spring at American Repertory Theater. Given the success of the magical Maybe Happy Ending, perhaps producers believe audiences are ready for a second course of intimate storytelling. An upbeat Brit (Sam Tutty) and a no-nonsense New Yorker (Christiani Pitts) cross paths as an impending wedding looms. We’re not sure where the cake comes into play, but we’re assuming the opening night party will have plenty.
Food has long been used as a theatrical convention, with professional kitchens and restaurants as the backdrop for recent hits, including Seared at MCC Theater and Clyde’s on Broadway, starring Uzo Aduba. But other times, it’s more of an amuse-bouche, offering a kiss into the culinary world of its characters. Here’s a look at five of our favorite food-inspired plays and musicals:
Waitress
Sara Bareilles’ musical prowess gave Waitress the sugar and spice it needed to become a Broadway hit. But for extra measure, producers hired a “pie consultant” to fill the theater with the scent of fresh-baked goods.
Fat Ham
James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham found inspiration in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, setting his reimagining at a backyard cookout. The appearance of Pap’s ghost took competition barbecue to the next level.
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Oliver!
It’s been 65 years since Lionel Bart gave Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist a musical makeover. The original production won three Tony Awards when it arrived on Broadway in 1963, and has seen countless revivals, regional, and community theater productions, not to mention hundreds of young boys screeching, “Food, glorious food!”
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
“The Worst Pies in London” offers a bit of dark humor in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Victorian tragedy about a revenge-seeking barber and an unscrupulous meat pie shop owner who will grind anything that comes her way.
Oklahoma!
The Rodgers & Hammerstein classic received a significant reimagining for director Daniel Fish’s 2019 revival. Though the libretto remained intact, the tone shifted toward a stark historical examination of the U.S.’s westward expansion. To satiate audiences for Act II, the actors cooked up chile and cornbread, which was served at intermission.
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